Adjustable headlight for street-cars, &amp;c.



No., 7l2,260. Patented Oct. 28, I902.

G. F. CHAPMAN.

ADJUSTABLE HEADLIGHT FOR STREET CARS, 8w.

(Application filed May 31, 1902.)

No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. CHAPMAN, OF MARLBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO LEVI WALLACE, OF AYER, MASSACHUSETTS.

ADJUSTABLE HEADLIGHT' FOR STREET-CARS,-&.c.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 712,260, dated October 28, 1902. Application filed May 31, 1902. Serial No. 109,594.. (No model.)

f all whom, itmaly concern:

Be it known that 'I, GEORGE F. CHAPMAN, of Marlboro, in the countyof Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Headlights for Street-Oars, &c., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an automaticallyadjustable headlight for street-cars and other vehicles; and it consists in the novel features of construction and relative arrangement of parts as set forth.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a car-truck, the body of the car being removed and the I 5 vestibule being shown in dotted lines. Fig.

2 in side elevation shows a car equipped with my invention. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view showing the lamp-supporting rod and its associated parts.

The same numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

l'represents the railway, and 2 an ordinary car-truck.

3 represents the truck-beam.

2 5 4 represents an air-cylinder adapted to be charged from any source of power. This cylinder 4 maybe suspended from the car-body in any desired way.

5 and 6 represent air-cylinders secured to the under side of the vestibule. In the cylinder 5 is arranged a piston-head 7, to which is connected a piston-rod 8, and in the cylinder 6 is arranged a piston-head 9, to which is connected a piston-rod 10. g

5 11 represents a pipe connected at one end to the cylinder 5 and at its other end tothe cylinder 4.

12 represents a pipe connecting the cylinder 6 with the cylinder 4.

13 represents a valve arrangedin the pipe 11, the stern of which is connected with a lever 14. V V p 15 represents a lug carried by the truckbeam 3 and adapted to engage the outer end of the lever 14.

16 represents a spring connected at one end with the lever 14 and at its other end with the pipe 11. The spring 16 is arranged to normally keep the valve 13 closed. The pipe 12 is provided with a similar valve 20, lever 21, and spring 22. The lever 21 is arranged to be engaged by a lug 23, carried by the truckbeam 3. t

30 represents a bracket carried by the front end of the vestibule and provided with ears 31, in which is arranged a rod or lamp-post 32, formed with a flange 33, which rests on the top of the ear 31 and maintains the rod in position. The upper. end of the rod is formed with a cross-piece 34. The lamp 35 is formed with clips 36, arranged to engage with the cross-piece 34. These clips are held in place by the in'turned ends 37 of the crosspiece 34. To the lower end of the rod are socured two arms 40 41. r

42 represents a connecting-rod joined at one end to the free endof the arm 40 and at its other end to the front end of the pistonrod 10. The end of the arm 41 is connected in like manner by a rod 43 to the front end of the piston-rod 8.

44 represents a spring connected at one end to the rod 42 and at its other end to a stationary support.

45 represents a spring connected at one end to the rod 43. and at its other end to some stationary support. The spring 44 tends to counteractand steady the fluctuation of the piston-rod 10, while the spring 45 is designed for a similar function in connection with the piston-rod 8.

The parts being constructed and arranged as described, and the light being positioned as shown, its rays will be deflected along the longitudinal axis of the car-body. If new the wheels of the truck engage a curve whose center lies below the truck, as shown in Fig. 1, the latter will cause the upper wheels to travel in a circle greater than that followed by the lower wheels, the truck with respect 9o to the car-body turning on its swivel. Such action of the truck will cause the lug 15 to engage the lug 14 and open the valve in the pipe 11, thus operating the rod 8 to divert the rays of the lamp 35 to make them follow the rail or roadway. If the curve was inthe opposite direction, a similar result would be obtained by means of the lug 23 and the rod 10.

By this construction the rays of the light are automatically maintained on the rail or roadway irrespective of the position of the longitudinal axis of the car-body.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the arrangement of pneumatic devices and connections shown, since any form of pneumatic connection for this purpose might be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I do not claim, broadly, in this application a lateral deflectable headlight and means for automatically turning the headlight toward either side of its central position, since this invention is claimed by me in my application Serial No. 103,850.

While the light as described is represented as arranged to normally shine along the longitudinal axis of the car-body, I do not wish to be limited to this arrangement, since the invention in its broad phase includes an adjustable light controlled by the truck or an equivalent device.

Having thus explained the nature of my invention and described a way of making and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A vehicle having a laterally-defiectable headlight, a truck, and pneumatic connections between said truck and light, whereby said light is deflected to shine upon the roadway, irrespective of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

2. A vehicle having a laterally-deflectable headlight, a truck, a pneumatic motor for controlling the position of the headlight, valve mechanism for said motor, and valve-operating mechanism connected with the truck, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE F. CHAPMAN.

Witnesses:

R. BULLOCK, H. L. ROBBINS. 

